PAPER C

 

                                                                                                              Purpose : For Decision

Committee:     FULL COUNCIL

 

Date :              24 MAY 2006

 

Title :               ESTABLISHMENT OF A PARISH COUNCIL FOR WHIPPINGHAM

                       

REPORT OF THE ACTING CHIEF EXECUTIVE

 

IMPLEMENTATION DATE : IMMEDIATE

 

SUMMARY/PURPOSE

 

1.                  On 3rd March 2006 the Isle Of Wight Council received a petition calling for the creation of a “Whippingham Parish Council” with the boundaries as set out in the map included with Appendix A. The Council, within three months, has to pass the petition onto the Secretary Of State and the Electoral Commission, as received, along with the Council’s views on the petition and any information the Council has relating to local opinion on the proposal. The Council may also make recommendations on various “electoral matters”, and on the proposed boundary of the Parish Council.

 

CONFIDENTIAL/EXEMPT ITEMS

 

2.                  None. Since the Petition was received we have undertaken a period of consultation including the use of an Official Notice, letters to neighbouring Parish Councils and Community Partnerships, notification to neighbouring Isle of Wight Council members, the Isle of Wight Youth Council, the Isle of Wight Society of Local Council Clerks, the Isle of Wight Association of Parish and Town Councils, Andrew Turner MP, and a Public Meeting.

 

BACKGROUND

 

3.                  The petition was received on 3rd March 2006, and the petition, along with associated maps, comments and recommendations must be passed to the Secretary Of State and the Electoral Commission by 3rd June 2006. Appendix A contains a summary of the feedback that has been received during the consultation process.

 

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

 

4.                  The Isle Of Wight Council has an existing policy of supporting the creation of Parish Councils, where there is a demand from the electorate. The extension or creation of Parish Councils fits comfortably with one of the aspirations of the Isle of Wight Community Strategy 2002-2012, viz: “To help local communities become more involved in making local decisions.”

 

CONSULTATION

 

5.                  Due to the tight timescales imposed by the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, a period of public consultation was commenced upon receipt of the petition. The details of this consultation are attached in Appendix A.

 

FINANCIAL/BUDGET IMPLICATIONS

 

6.                  Some expenditure has already been incurred with the consultation process, all of which has been met from within existing budgets.

 

7.                  The costs of running any Parish Council created as a result of this petition will be met from any precept levied by that Parish Council. The costs of running elections can be controlled by ensuring that boundaries are, where appropriate, coterminous with Electoral Divisions to avoid small and fragmented Polling Districts. Little additional expenditure would be anticipated, as changes to Polling Districts can be effected easily via our existing computer systems.

 

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

8.      The petition has been submitted under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 and as detailed above the Isle of Wight Council has to, within three months, pass the petition and plan, as received, to the Secretary of State and the Electoral Commission along with any comments that the Council may make on the petition and any information the Council has relating to local opinion on the proposal.

 

9.      It will be for the Secretary of State (currently Ruth Kelly at the Department of Communities and Local Government) to determine if a Parish Council is created as a consequence of the petition. The Council can only express views on the proposal.

 

OPTIONS

 

10.             The Isle of Wight Council can make recommendations to the Secretary Of State on a number of options:

 

11.             The Council may conclude that it does not wish to make any recommendations or comments on the petition;

 

12.             The Council may conclude that it supports the creation of the Parish Council;

 

13.             The Council may make recommendations on the number of Councillors who should serve on the Parish Council, and whether or not the Parish Council should be divided into wards.

 

EVALUATION/RISK MANAGEMENT

 

14. The map submitted with the Petition seeks to emparish the whole of one existing Polling District, that of Whippingham, which forms the southern part of the Osborne Electoral Division, and does not include any area of land that is currently parished.

 

15. The Isle of Wight Council is also being asked to make recommendations on the number of Councillors who should serve on the Parish Council, along with the possible warding of the Council.

 

16. Number of members:  At the Public Meeting, a very large majority of those present were in favour of having 6 members serving on the Parish Council. The electorate of the proposed Parish Council area will be roughly 720, and this puts it on a par with Calbourne, Shorwell and Fishbourne Parish Councils which each have 6 members. 

 

17. Warding: Wards are used to ensure that separate communities within the Parish Council area are adequately represented.  There is only one main body of population within the proposed Parish Council area, that being the area of Whippingham itself. The rest of the population is distributed over the remainder of the area, with no other major population concentrations.

 

18. It was the unanimous view of the Public Meeting that the area should not be divided into Wards, and that the population do indeed see themselves as one cohesive whole. It is therefore recommended that the area is not divided into Parish Council Wards.

 

19. These options accord with the Councils policy of creating Parish Councils “where there is a demand.”

 

20. Risks are minimal with this process. Officers must ensure that any recommendation for emparishment is put forward to the Secretary Of State and the Electoral Commission in accordance with the provisions contained within the Local Government and Rating Act 1997.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

21.            Given the feedback obtained from the Public Meeting and other sources, it is recommended:

 

a.      That the Isle of Wight Council support the petition for the establishment of the “Whippingham” Parish Council.

 

b.      That boundaries of the Parish Council be as defined by the map presented with the Petition (and as set out in Appendix A).

 

c.      That the Parish Council should consist of 6 members.

 

d.      That the Parish Council area should not be divided into Wards.

 

 

BACKGROUND PAPERS

 

22.             Appendix A – Consultation, Feedback and map of proposed Parish area

 

 

Contact Point :           Emma Woodmore, Assistant Electoral Services Officer (01983) 823342

                                                emma.woodmore@iow,gov.uk

 

 

 

JOHN K LAWSON

Acting Chief Executive Officer